Tag: Bill Lazor

With Bill Lazor hiring, is QB Andy Dalton headed to the Bears?

The Bears hired Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator, which ignited speculation that Andy Dalton could follow him to Chicago.

The Bears filled their offensive coordinator vacancy with the hiring of Bill Lazor, who served in the same position with the Bengals (2017-18) and Dolphins (2014-15), and there’s already speculation that he could reunite with a former quarterback in Chicago.

There was an almost instant connection between Lazor and one of the quarterbacks he worked with in the Bengals’ Andy Dalton. Cincinnati is almost certainly going to select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick, which means that they’re likely looking for a trading partner to save the $17.7 million in salary cap space.

The Bears are in a position that, at this time last year, not many expected. Uncertainty surrounding the future of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky following regression in his third season.

While general manager Ryan Pace has remained steadfast in his commitment to Trubisky as the 2020 starter, a lot can change between an end-of-year press conference and the start of the regular season. At the very least, the days of Chase Daniel as backup quarterback are over. The Bears need to bring in competition for Trubisky this offseason, whether that’s an NFL veteran in free agency and/or a young prospect through the NFL Draft.

Chicago is definitely in the market for a veteran quarterback this offseason, and Dalton could fit the bill. And given Cincinnati looks to be moving on from him, it likely wouldn’t cost much. The Bears should settle for nothing higher than a Day 3 draft pick.

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5 things to know about new Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor

The Bears added Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator. Here’s what you should know about Lazor.

The Chicago Bears are filling the vacancies on their offensive staff. After firing four coaches, including offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride, the Bears have added three new faces to Matt Nagy’s coaching staff.

Juan Castillo joined the Bears coaching staff as offensive line coach, Clancy Barone was added as the Bears’ new tight ends coach, and now Chicago has found their new offensive coordinator in Bill Lazor.

Here are five things to know about the Bears’ new offensive coordinator:

1. Lazor’s offenses haven’t been the most productive

AP Photo/Alan Diaz

It’s no secret that the Bears were courting new Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who ultimately chose Denver over Chicago. Shurmur has a proven track record as an offensive coordinator and working with quarterbacks. The same can’t be said for Chicago’s new offensive coordinator.

During his four years as an offensive coordinator, Lazor’s offenses were some of the worst in the league. The Bengals were the worst offense in the NFL in 2017, and just once have his offenses finished higher than 26th. That came with the Dolphins in 2014, where they finished 14th during his first year as an offensive coordinator.

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Report: Former Bengals coordinator gets Bears job

A former Bengals coach is headed for the Bears.

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor might have a noteworthy role again at the NFL level soon.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Lazor is one name in the running to be Chicago Bears offensive coordinator:

“One source told the Tribune the Bears have expressed interest in former Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who was out of the league this season. Lazor, 47, was the Bengals coordinator for two seasons (2017-18) and served as their quarterbacks coach in 2016.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported the move would be final.

The Bears seem to be having issues filling this position on the staff, which is understandable with the organization saddled with Mitch Trubisky under center right now.

Lazor’s time with the Bengals was uneventful before he got fired ahead of Zac Taylor’s arrival. Some interesting ideas were mired behind poor line play and only seemed to overly shine when Tyler Eifert was healthy.

This wouldn’t be a massive ordeal, but it’s something to track because the Bengals might be moving on from Andy Dalton and the Bears might be on the market for a quarterback.

Lazor, then, is the interesting link.

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Was Matt Nagy interested in Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator back in 2018?

The Bears have found their new offensive coordinator in Bill Lazor, who might’ve been a target of Matt Nagy’s from the start.

The Chicago Bears have found their new offensive coordinator in Bill Lazor, who might’ve been a target of Matt Nagy’s from the start.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson, Nagy was interested in bringing Lazor in as his offensive coordinator when he was named head coach of the Bears in 2018.

Lazor was with the Bengals from 2016-18, where he served as quarterbacks coach for a season before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2017. He helped coach Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who could hit the free agent market this offseason.

With Lazor choosing to remain in Cincinnati in 2018, Nagy hired Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich as offensive coordinator. Helfrich was relieved of his duties shortly after the end of this disappointing season, where the Bears offense ranked near the bottom of nearly every statistical category.

While Lazor was out of the NFL this season, he served as a volunteer consultant for Penn State. And according to Dickerson, he took in some Bears practices during OTAs last spring.

Now, it looks like Nagy has his guy. And the two are going to be tasked with turning around a Bears offense that was downright abysmal last season.

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Report: Bears are hiring Bill Lazor as new offensive coordinator

Two weeks into their offensive coordinator search, and the Bears have found their OC in former Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

A top priority for the Chicago Bears this offseason will be fixing an ailing offense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. While Mark Helfrich was ultimately the scapegoat for Chicago’s abysmal offense, there’s plenty of work to be done by Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace this offseason.

Two weeks into their offensive coordinator search, and the Bears have found their guy in former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Lazor, 47, has an extensive resume particularly working as a quarterbacks coach, which serves to help with Mitchell Trubisky. Aside from serving as Bengals offensive coordinator for two seasons (2017-18), Lazor was also the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator for two seasons (2014-15). He also worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles (2013), Seattle Seahawks (2008-09) and Washington Redskins (2006-07), among others.

There’s also an Andy Dalton connection that’s sure to gain some steam heading into the new league year. Lazor worked with Dalton in Cincinnati from 2016-18, where he first served as quarterbacks coach (2016) and then offensive coordinator (2017-18).

Lazor joins offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone as new faces to the Bears offense this season.

While Lazor has been named the Bears’ new offensive coordinator, it’s by title only. Nagy will continue to call plays and run his offense.

The Bears had expressed interest in signing former New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator before he chose to go to Denver with Vic Fangio, where he will get to run his offense and get to call plays.

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